Can you imagine giving up your own child’s life for someone else’s? Or willingly allowing your son or daughter to suffer extreme punishment for another’s crime? That is exactly what God did for us – what extravagant love! This passage also assures us that once we trust in Christ, we cannot be separated from His amazing love. Let this knowledge take deep root in your soul so that your peace will not be shaken when you face the troubles of this world.


Questions for further thought:
1. “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (v. 31b)

2. What do you need to be confident of God’s extravagant love for you?  


Challenge: Choose a verse or passage of scripture to dedicate as your “life verse.” Find a passage that impacts you greatly with a spiritual truth you can cling to when life gets really hard. Post this scripture somewhere you will see it daily and start memorizing!

This concept is one of the most difficult that Jesus taught. As human beings, we crave control over our situations and what happens to us. We very much like our free will, but at the same time want safety and security. Jesus is quite direct when explaining what is actually best for us. We must give up our way and follow His way, even to the point of sacrificing our lives. If we don’t, we run the risk of losing our place in heaven with Him.


Questions for further thought:
1. Which do you treasure more: your way or Jesus’ way? What evidence in your life supports this answer?

2. Where is Jesus calling you to follow Him today?  


Challenge: Be bold in your prayers this week. Ask God to push aside your worries, fears, and doubts and instead fill you with courage. Ask Him to make it crystal clear to you how He wants you to give up your life for His sake. Then take a concrete step this week toward following His way. Don’t wait!

It’s so helpful for us to remember that this life on earth is temporary. Since we are currently bound by time, it can be hard for human beings to fathom eternity, but God’s word assures us that believers will be with Jesus forever. In comparison to that future glory that all of creation looks forward to, our present suffering is miniscule. The Holy Spirit gives us a taste of this glory and intercedes for us when we are too burdened to even know what to pray. Praise God for His glorious promises and provision!


Questions for further thought:
1. How do you envision eternity once you are freed from life in this world? 

2. What blocks your hope and ability to look forward to the future? How can you tear down these walls?  


Challenge: Read Revelation 21:1-7 and 22:1-5. Then meditate on this picture of the glorious future that God has promised. Take time to ponder the joy you will experience when creation is again in perfect harmony with the Creator. 

We live in a fallen world and all people struggle with sin. While believers can tap into the power of the Holy Spirit to resist temptation, those who do not know Christ easily fall prey to the devil’s schemes. This is why verses 1-5 describe our modern times just as well as the ancient. The suffering and hurt in our world are a direct result of sins such as these. Also when we choose to go the opposite way and live a godly life following Jesus, we will experience persecution too.


Questions for further thought:
1. How do you feel when bad things happen to “good” people? Do you feel the need to blame someone?

2. How do you respond when people start to lose hope in the midst of the suffering in our world?   


Challenge: Paul’s faith, patience, love, and endurance were evident to those around him, such as Timothy. (v. 10) Make it your goal to live out these godly traits with each person and/or situation you encounter the rest of this week.

Have you ever noticed that most religions in the world are respected, and even acknowledging God in general is accepted, but if you mention Jesus, people’s attitudes shift? Jesus, himself, warned us that the world hated him and thus would hate his followers. Since Jesus is the only way to the Father, Satan gladly encourages all other “ways.” But we are not defenseless¬—Jesus has sent us the Advocate (Holy Spirit) to help us testify the truth.


Questions for further thought:
1. To whom do you belong: Jesus or the world?

2. What evidence is there in your life that supports your answer above?  


Challenge: When doing your best to follow Jesus, do not be discouraged when you experience hostility or even persecution. You’re in good company! Jesus knows exactly how you feel. He also said, “…take heart, because I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33b)

The story of Jesus and Nicodemus reinforces John’s themes that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God and that He came to offer salvation to all who would believe. Jesus’ ability to know men’s hearts points to an unmistakable evidence of His deity. Jesus also presented God the Father’s ordained plan of salvation to Nicodemus, showing that He was God’s messenger, whose redemptive work would bring about the promised salvation to his people. Being born is first a matter of the physical. Being born again is most definitely a matter of the spiritual. The new birth must be appropriated by an act of believing faith. This is more than mere intellectual assent to the claims of the Gospel. It includes trust and commitment to Christ as Lord and Savior, which will result in a new nature that produces a change of heart and mind and will result in obedience to the Lord. After you are born physically, you have to be born again spiritually. If not, you will not only die physically (which we all will), but you will also die spiritually in a place called hell. God is rich in mercy and desires to forgive, but He will not force your hand. Come today to the living water of Jesus Christ and drink deeply. He always satisfies!


Questions for further thought:
1. How can I know for sure I have been born again?

2. When will I confess and forsake my sin and put my trust in Christ alone as the basis for my forgiveness?


Challenge: Seek God’s guidance in this matter and He will give you clarity of thought. Our God is a God of order and not the author of confusion. 

 In a survey of 100 people that were asked to name a commonly held misconception about Heaven, this was the top answer given; You get to Heaven by being a good person. This seems to fly directly in the face of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. The idea that Jesus was a good example and a good teacher seems like a compliment, but if that is it, it just leaves people without hope. He is the hope of eternal life as He explains in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. Revelation 21:8 gives eight characteristics of those that will not be in Heaven. Which of these strike a chord with you?


Questions for further thought:
1. How can I know for sure that I am going to Heaven? What source can I go to for my assurance?

2. Who is a trusted person I can confide in if I am struggling with question #1?


Challenge: Confess my willingness to give into prideful tendencies and see how God will work in His Spirit to change that.

What is Hell? Historically, hell was defined as eternal, conscience torment for the wicked. However, maybe a better definition would be “Hell is eternal torment for the impenitent”. Impenitent is the term to describe a person who is not repentant. Repentance is when you come to the place in your life when you tell God, “Lord, I’ve been wrong! I’ve thought wrong and I’ve done wrong! I thought I could get to Heaven on my own efforts. I thought you would grade on the curve and weigh up the good things vs. the bad. I realize that the only entrance to Heaven is gained through Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of sin found in Him.” Hell is a place for God’s righteous anger at sin to be poured out. But, aren’t there many people that have not heard about God and His gracious gift? That would be a good argument if our Lord hadn’t presented these three unmistakable evidences. 1) They see God in creation. The creation screams “There’s a GOD, There’s a GOD! 2) They have the voice of conscience. You don’t have to teach a child that it is wrong to lie. They know by evidence of conscience. 3) Saving evidences of people reached by missions have proven that to all that “want” to know God, He will make himself known. However, I suspect that it is not a problem with not hearing, but that most do not WANT to know.


Questions for further thought:
1. How is the rationalization for my sin keeping me from experiencing God’s saving power this day?

2. What steps will I take to get alone with God and confess my sin to Him personally? When will I do that?


Challenge: Read Romans 1 and meditate on the truth that is found in this passage.

This is one of the greatest texts in the Bible describing the redemption found only through the shed blood of Christ. Redemption is a term describing a release of slaves by payment of a ransom. It is Christ making right our relationship with the Father.  We are bought at the price of the perfect Lamb being sacrificed on our behalf. Christ offered Himself by His own volition and with a full understanding of the necessity and consequences of His sacrifice. Christ was the fulfilment of the old covenant of sacrificing bulls and rams as He superseded that covenant in the one time, all-inclusive, perfect sacrifice at the cross. Moreover, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”. (Heb. 9:27) So how do we avoid this coming judgment? We must respond to and appropriate Christ’s gracious offer of salvation through repentance and faith. (Mark 1:15). So what is stopping you from responding today? 


Questions for further thought:
1. Do I agree with the notion that I can do nothing to save myself? Why or why not?

2. Why do I need an “alien” righteousness that only comes through Christ to be truly redeemed?


Challenge: Share this truth with someone this week that needs to know this TRUTH.

If a doctor were to perform surgery on you and remove a terminal tumor, you would say that he “saved” you. The Bible teaches that we all have a terminal tumor called sin. It points out that life has such a strong undertow of sin that it is dragging you out to sea and that you are headed toward death. We are all part of the ultimate statistic…10 out of 10 die. In the parable of the sower, Christ explains the four soils. Some miss the message…In v.19, it describes someone who hears the Gospel and doesn’t really get it. Then Satan comes and removes the message. Some drop the message… In v.20-21, it describes the person that makes an emotional, superficial commitment to salvation in Christ as they remain interested only until there is a price to pay and then abandon Christ in favor of something else. Some lose the message… In v.22, it describes the person that superficially embraces salvation, but the cares of the world win out over true repentance and they produce no fruit. Some get the message….In v.23, the good soil brings forth fruit in varying degrees as all truly saved people bear fruit. How am I doing in fruitfulness?


Questions for further thought:
1. If I was being totally honest, which of these four soils would represent me?

2. What is my reason and defense for my answer to question #1?


Challenge: Take time this week to examine the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 13 and take inventory of my life in relation to the different soils.